Area artwork to be displayed at event

Wednesday

Jan 18, 2017 at 12:01 AM

Kortny Hahn Staff Writer, @khahnCDT @khahnCDT

Two pieces of original artwork will be on display Thursday at the Cheboygan Community Foundation's Soup, Sliders and Sweets event at Fernelius Toyota Dodge Showroom. Artist Lawrence Falardeau has spent a considerable amount of time touring around the state and sketching or painting landmarks he feels inspired by. He spent some time in Cheboygan County over the summer and recently completed several pieces including "Guardian of the Lakes-Home Port Cheboygan," which features the Inland Waterway and the Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw. These paintings have been donated to the Community Foundation to raise funds to bring jobs to the county. “My painting sort of revolves around three primary areas, the land, life and spirit,” said Falardeau. “With the land, it ties back to the unique, natural environment that we have here in Michigan. I travel pretty extensively around the state and it's like every area has its own personality with a unique sense of history and the richness of the area. They're all intriguing stories unto themselves.” Falardeau had worked with Noreen Keating of the Community Foundation in the past with doing some sketches and she had tracked him down to ask if he would be interested in doing some artwork of the Cheboygan area. He had traveled around the state to understand the richness of what the state has to offer and took Keating up on her request, to better understand the Cheboygan area. He had been through the community before but hadn't spent a lot of time. “So I sort of spent the time to try to come up to speed of the area,” said Falardeau. Originally he was going to come up with some ink sketches of some of the landmarks around the community. Some of those images have been translated into note cards and others into full sized images. These note cards are currently being used by Citizens National Bank as client gifts and can be purchased several places in Cheboygan, including Hallmark, Purple Tree Books and Burt Lake Marina. His framed artwork can also be seen at Citizens National Bank, Purple Tree and at the Soup, Sliders and Sweets event Thursday. Images include the Topinabee Library, two Cheboygan River lighthouses and Cross in the Woods. The note cards also not only feature the image of the lighthouses, but when they are turned over, there is a map of Michigan to show where in the state they are located if someone wants to see the lighthouse in person. Falardeau did some research on the history of the area and found so much uniqueness, from the Inland Waterway to one of the only deep water ports on the Great Lakes, to the lighthouses and the rich maritime history. “I mean, it just has so much there that I just totally enjoyed doing the artwork,” he said. “Then I decided, I was only going to do some kind of ink sketches, but with that richness of the area, I wanted to sort of one signature painting. So I did that one, it's called 'Guardian of the Lakes-Home Port Cheboygan.'” The painting reflects some of the rich, natural environment, and the spirit of it all being under the rising or setting of the sun. Falardeau said one of the reasons behind doing the piece was to allow him to meet with other local artists, since he was coming in as an artist who lives outside of the community. He wanted to touch base with the other artists and invite them into being a part of the future partnerships in the community, with the foundation and others. The piece, "Guardian of the Lakes," was a type of a package deal that he donated to the Community Foundation. He did a custom wood frame for the artwork to represent the heritage of the lumber industry in Cheboygan County. “In addition to the painting itself and the wood frame construction and everything, I probably have maybe 40 hours into that painting,” he said. “But that's the construction of the frame and the whole framing process as well.” The whole process to make the artwork included gathering the materials, sketching the landmarks at the site and then returning to his studio in Hartland, in the southeast portion of the state, to create the piece. Falardeau has been painting for 35-40 years. He has a degree in landscape architecture and had a dual profession for some time. He was a designer both in the private sector doing designs on the land and then became a planner, overseeing the planning of unique areas in southeastern Michigan. This is where he first met Keating and worked with her on a project to provide transitional housing for homeless and abused women and children. He spent much of his time in the Keweenaw Peninsula with his parents as he was growing up and that is how he first got his introduction to the richness of the state. “I have been traveling ever since,” said Falardeau. “I was happy and I just sort of want to give back to the community, because I believe so much in the local spirit of a community and the local history. This was sort of a labor of love for me, to try to contribute, based what I can do, to the uniqueness of Cheboygan County, to bring awareness to other people of its rich history and present day uniqueness, to try to help out with the future in any way I can.” The efforts of the Community Foundation are something Falardeau truly believes in as well, trying to develop partnerships and support interest in the community for the future. The life spirit of the individuals in the community are so important in making anything work and the foundation supports that. Keating said Falardeau's artwork as been readily and eagerly accepted by everyone who has seen it. Falardeau has an incredible admiration for the Cheboygan area, saying it is a tourist's dream come true if only people knew about it, and that shines through in his artwork. “Everyone who sees the artwork is very touched by it,” said Keating. “They are emotional, somewhat emotional. If anyone wants to see the entire collection before we start auctioning them off two by two, they will be at Soups, Sliders and Sweets on Thursday at 6 o'clock at Fernelius showroom.” While he is happy to watch from this wings, he would rather let the artwork and the initiatives of the Community Foundation take center stage. He is happy to support these initiatives with his part of the story wherever he can. He enjoyed creating the pieces of art and looks forward to returning to the area and working with the community again in the future. “I plan on doing more works just because I loved the area so much,” said Falardeau. Falardeau said Cheboygan is kind of a forgotten story because it is so close to Mackinaw City. However, he has become one of the greatest promoters of the area because he tells everyone about it. “It's really a stopping off point, with all kinds of outdoor recreation, with all of the new trail systems that come out with Cheboygan as a hub,” he said. “And then the Inland Waterway that is sort of a stepping stone to the Upper Peninsula. It's just so much going on. And then the Opera House.”

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